What Do All of These Options Mean!?

Do you ever go to your local eye care provider and when ordering your new glasses, you have no idea what anything is that they’re asking you to order? Well I can tell you from personal experience that before I was educated about what all of the different options were, I would always just order the cheapest thing possible. I didn’t think that the other upgrades were really worth paying the extra money for.

In some cases, I was right, it was not worth it for me, but there are others that think the same way that I always did, when in fact, they would really benefit from some of the options that are available to them.

As a result, I figured that it would be a good idea for me to post about some of the options that are offered at most eye care providers, so that our readers can feel more confident the next time they order a new pair of glasses.

	Pros	Cons
Glass Lenses	Exceptional Optics	Heavy Breaks easily, which could easily harm the eyes
Plastic Lenses	Lightweight Low Cost Good Optics	Scratches Easily Thicker than Polycarbonate or Hi-Index Lenses
Polycarbonate Lenses	Lighter than HI-Index Impact resistant Used widely for children, safety and sports Blocks Ultra Violet light Contains Scratch Coating	More expensive than plastic.
Trivex Lenses	Lightweight (lightest available) Premium impact resistance Higher Abb Value	More expensive than the other materials
Hi-Index 1.67	Lighter than plastic Used for higher prescriptions Blocks 100% of U.V light	More expensive Not necessary for lower prescriptions
Anti-Scratch Coating	Protects against scratches
Anti-Reflective Coating	Eliminates reflections Lenses become nearly invisible Less glare from glasses in photos Reduces eyestrain Improves vision Need for Hi-Index lenses Premium A/R Coating has hard coating in it and usually comes with a warranty	Can be harder to keep clean
Transitions	Blocks out U.V light Automattically tints No need for spare prescription sunglasses Un-tints automatically	Does not work in a car Takes several minutes to return to clear once inside.
Tints	Used for visual comfort or fashion Yellow tints are generally used for shooting Green, Brown, and Grey tints are usually used for sunglasses. Red is generally used for a bold fashion statement.	Not always necessary
Mirror Coating	Used for sunglasses Decreases the amount of light passing through the tinted lense by a further 10-60% Very useful in sand, water, snow, and high altitudes	Gives the wearer a brown or grey tint to everything that they see Easy to scratch
Anti-fog	Keeps lenses from fogging up Can be applied to any lense material

So there you have it, friends. And if you’re ever unsure about what options to get, but do not want to be forced into getting something that you don’t need, come on in to Hi-Tech Optical, where our opticians do NOT work on salary, so you’re sure to get an honest opinion every time!

Remember, Hi-Tech Optical. Savings, Service, Selection